BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – Three suspects were arrested in connection with an illegal bar operating out of a lounge in northeast Bexar County, according to the sheriff’s office.
A deputy was called to the 6200 block of Binz-Engleman Road in the early morning hours on Saturday for a noise disturbance and found a hookah business operating as an illicit bar, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said.
The deputy saw alcohol being sold and consumed inside Leaf Hookah Lounge with no liquor license, and tobacco products being sold without a valid permit, BCSO said.
Emmanuel Awa Tse Kenah, 39, the hookah lounge’s owner, was taken into custody. Fru Tinga, 33, was also arrested in this case.
Kenah and Tinga both face the following charges:
- Permit required in wet area
- Possible illicit beverage/equipment to manufacture
- Cigars and tobacco products tax violation
- Unauthorized employment of a private investigator/security agency
- Selling alcoholic beverages during prohibited hours
The deputy also arrested Bobby Britton, 50, who was dressed as a uniformed security guard, but was unlicensed and not commissioned as a security officer, BCSO said.
The sheriff’s office said Britton had a Taser on his belt but never displayed it during the incident. He faces a charge of impersonation of a security officer.
BCSO said the hookah lounge did not have a valid certificate of occupancy and had an unsafe number of people inside. The county fire marshal is investigating.
All three suspects have been released on bond, according to online records.
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